Expanding Health Equity in Wisconsin Prisons and Jails through Access to Menstrual Products

The population of incarcerated people who menstruate in the Wisconsin correctional system has increased significantly over the last decade. Though necessary for the health and wellbeing of these individuals, menstrual products are not guaranteed at a reasonable cost throughout the Wisconsin correctional system, making them inaccessible, particularly to individuals from marginalized communities. The current system causes extreme physical and mental health problems, as many incarcerated individuals may go without these necessary products or attempt to make their own. Thirteen states have enacted legislation to provide menstrual products at no cost to citizens in prisons and jails. We advise that the Wisconsin State Legislature pass similar legislation that requires prisons and jails to provide free menstrual products to incarcerated Wisconsinites.

FTC pick adds force to Biden's antitrust agenda

Significance Khan's unexpected appointment came five days after the House of Representatives introduced antitrust legislation that could break apart Amazon's control of its e-commerce marketplace, prevent Facebook and Google from buying smaller rivals, and make Apple change how it runs its app store. Impacts Biden does not favour breaking up tech platforms, despite such calls from some Progressive Democrats. Investigation -- or the threat of it -- could have a chilling effect on companies, including M&A activity. New US antitrust legislation affecting big tech would likely influence similar legislation in other countries.

The Sport Gaming Nexus

Historically, sports gaming has existed primarily in brick-and-mortar venues such as casinos. This was the case until the internet created the conditions for a dramatic change in the supply of gaming opportunities in live sports. In 2018, a United States Supreme Court ruling legalized sports gaming, which triggered the tabling of similar legislation in Canada. This chapter examines how stakeholders form a network of relationships referred to as the sports gaming nexus. The authors argue that sports gaming presents a paradox – sports gaming will increase revenues and fan engagement for many actors within the sports culture and economy, but will the benefits outweigh potential negative consequences? This question is examined from the active economy, network system perspective. This chapter is informed by current debates in more mature gaming markets such as the United Kingdom and France.

Hungarian Regulation of Subjects Excluded from the Referendum

The paper aims to explore the issues of the excluded and forbidden subjects of the referendum under the Hungarian rules, thus making it comparable with similar legislation in other jurisdictions. A consistent examination of these rules and jurisprudence will lead to an exploration of the requirements that a referendum initiative in Hungary must actually meet in order to pass the scrutiny of the body that controls the issues.

There is no Dingo dilemma: legislation facilitates culling, containment and conservation of Dingoes in New South Wales

ABSTRACT The perceived dilemma about Dingoes overly simplifies a complex “wicked problem”. Similarly, it is simplistic to suggest that to “cull, contain or conserve” Dingoes are mutually exclusive options or are the only options for managing Dingoes at a state-wide level. The legal instruments enacted and implemented in New South Wales (NSW) attempt to accommodate conflicting values, impacts and drivers. Since the first Dingo symposium in 1999, there has been a series of legislative changes pertaining to Dingo management. That legislation, and associated regulation and policy, addresses the management of Dingoes and other free-roaming dogs such that the dilemma is perceived rather than actual. The main new legal operand in New South Wales is the Biosecurity Act 2015, but other States have similar legislation. Here we outline the application of this Act and others to the management of Dingoes in NSW and conclude that they can be variously culled, contained and conserved, within and across large landscapes, depending on context and managers’ objectives.

Criminalizing Violence against Women in Politics: Innovation, Diffusion, and Transformation

Violence against women politicians is increasingly recognized as an issue that undermines women's presence in politics. Latin America has been at the vanguard of this global discussion. In 2012, Bolivia became the only country in the world to criminalize “political violence and harassment against women.” Several other countries have similar legislation in the works. What explains the emergence of these bill proposals? This article argues that the creation of these bills is the result of three processes: activism at the local level used international norms to propose an innovative solution to a problem; women politicians and “femocrats” worked within the state apparatus to overcome resistance; and international actors worked to foster connections among activists and politicians across the region. In this process, international norms have been transformed, with important implications for women's political representation.

Reactions to Standardized Cigarette Packs With Varying Structural Designs, and the Association With Smoking Susceptibility: A Postimplementation Cross-Sectional Survey With Never-Smoking Adolescents in Scotland

Introduction From May 20, 2017, cigarettes in the United Kingdom must be sold in standardized (plain) packaging. We explore postimplementation reactions to standardized cigarette packaging among never-smokers in Scotland, whether reactions vary in relation to permitted variations in pack structure, and whether reactions are associated with susceptibility. Aims and Methods A cross-sectional survey with 12–17-year-old never-smokers (n = 507) in Scotland, conducted November 2017–November 2018. Participants were shown one “regular” standardized cigarette pack (flip-top lid and straight-edged pack, similar to designs in Australia) and three standardized packs with varied pack structures (beveled-edges, slim pack, and shoulder box), which are permitted postimplementation in the United Kingdom. Participants rated each pack on eight five-point reaction measures (eg, attractiveness). Participants also indicated which pack, if any, they would choose. Smoking susceptibility was the outcome. Results The mean reaction scores for all four packs were mostly negative, however the shoulder box was consistently rated less negatively than the regular, slim, or beveled-edge packs. Most participants (87%) said they would not select any of the four packs, although susceptible participants were more likely to select one than nonsusceptible participants (25% vs. 7%; χ 2 = 29.70; p < .001). For all four packs, not finding them off-putting was associated with susceptibility (Adjusted Odds Ratio range: 2.73–3.69), albeit only a minority of adolescents did not find each pack off-putting. Conclusions Adolescents have negative reactions to the standardized cigarette packs implemented in the United Kingdom, albeit permitted variations in structure can reduce the extent of negativity. Most reactions to standardized packaging had no association with susceptibility. Implications We provide the first empirical evidence that adolescents find the standardized cigarette packs implemented in the United Kingdom unappealing and that most pack reactions have no association with susceptibility among never-smokers, with the exception of the minority who did not think that they would put them off smoking. This suggests that the legislation is achieving one of its primary aims, to reduce the appeal of packaging. That permitted variations in pack structure (eg, shoulder boxes) somewhat reduce negative reactions suggests that the United Kingdom, and other countries introducing similar legislation, should ensure that all aspects of pack design are fully standardized.

The Digital Services Tax on the Verge of Implementation

France enacted the digital services tax (DST) in 2019, and similar legislation is pending in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and other countries. The DST can be viewed as a tax on location-specific rent (LSR), and it arguably solves genuinely new problems in international taxation. The author briefly reviews this justification of the DST and further examines the DST design in light of three criticisms. The first criticism is that certain features of the DST render it similar to distortionary import tariffs. The second is that the DST would not be borne by digital platforms but would only be shifted to platform users. The third is that governments promoting the DST seem not to characterize it as a tax on LSR but, instead, have advocated reforming the income tax. The author suggests ways of rationalizing the DST's tariff-like features, refutes casual arguments about the DST's incidence, and offers a framework for understanding why small economies might advocate simultaneously for the DST and for the reformation of international income taxation.

Use of the Delphi Method to Enhance Pharmacist Contraceptive Counseling Materials

Background: Many states have pharmacist contraceptive prescribing laws with several others in the process of enacting similar legislation. Little continuity or standardization exists across these programs, including development of counseling materials. Although the risk of unplanned pregnancy is greatest among adolescents and young adults, developed materials are not always sensitive to youth. Objective: To use a modified Delphi method to develop standardized youth-friendly counseling tools that are sensitive to pharmacy workflow during pharmacist contraceptive prescribing. Methods: A multidisciplinary expert panel of women’s health pharmacists, community pharmacists, adolescent medicine pediatricians, obstetrician–gynecologists, and public health advocates was assembled and reviewed materials over 3 iterations. Comments were anonymized, summarized, and addressed with each iteration. A graphic designer assisted with visual representation of panel suggestions. Reviewer feedback was qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes. Results: The Delphi method produced 5 main themes of feedback integrated into the final materials including attention to work flow, visual appeal, digestible medical information, universal use of materials, and incorporating new evidence-based best practices. Final materials were scored at a Flesch-Kincaid grade of 5.1 for readability. Conclusions: The use of the Delphi method allowed for the efficient production of materials that are medically accurate, patient-centered, and reflect multiple disciplinary perspectives. Final materials were more robust and sensitive to the unique needs of youth.

Where is it? Examining Post-Secondary Students' Accessibility to Policies and Resources on Sexual Violence

Faced with a growing demand for adequate policies and programs that meaningfully address sexual violence on campus, the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba have introduced legislation requiring all post-secondary institutions to institute a sexual assault policy. The remaining provinces and territories do not have similar legislation. In absence of such legislation, using the case study of Alberta, we examined how equipped post-secondary institutions in this province are to assist students in need. Utilizing publicly available data we examined: 1) whether Alberta’s post-secondary institutions have a sexual violence policy which is readily and easily accessible to the student; and 2) the ease with which students can access university resources and support services for sexual violence. The results indicate that most institutions do not have an accessible policy and support services for students in need. We are hopeful that this study can inform those designing and advocating for sexual violence policies on campus to institute measures to clarify institutions’ sexual violence policies, increase accessibility to those policies, create policies where they are missing, and work on clarifying the availability of resources for students on and off campus.